LA Data Platform User Group February 2023 meeting incident

Date: [February 15, 2023] Time: [8:00PM PST]

Description of Incident: On Wednesday, February 15, 2023, a virtual meeting was scheduled to take place at 7PM PST for Los Angeles Data Platform User Group virtual meeting. The meeting was attended by about 20 virtual attendees who had logged in from various locations using a video conferencing platform.

Shortly after the meeting started, one of the attendees, who had joined using a pseudonym, began sharing their screen and displaying inappropriate adult images. The individual also started screaming and using foul language, making it difficult for other attendees to concentrate on the meeting. The behavior of the bad actor was causing significant disruption and distress to the other attendees.

Response to Incident: As soon as the inappropriate behavior began, the meeting moderator tried to remove the bad actor from the meeting, but they kept rejoining using different pseudonyms. The moderator then attempted to mute the individual, but they continued to display inappropriate images and scream.

Given the severity of the situation and the inability to remove the bad actor, it was decided to end the meeting immediately to prevent any further distress to the attendees. The moderator informed all participants that the meeting was canceled due to technical difficulties and advised them to disconnect from the platform.

After the meeting, the incident of session hijacking was reported to the platform’s customer support team, who were able to identify the user’s IP address and take appropriate action.

Conclusion: The incident was deeply concerning, and we apologize to all attendees and speakers who were subjected to such inappropriate behavior. We are taking steps to ensure that future meetings are conducted in a safe and secure environment. This includes improving our meeting security protocols, implementing more robust user authentication measures, and training our moderators on handling disruptive behavior. We thank you for your understanding and cooperation.